The Truth Beneath The Lies
by banana
Summary: This is a fic told from Lily Evans' point of view. L/J love/hate....he loves her, she hates him. She makes presumptions about him, judging him from his outward appearance...and most of them are right! will they ever get together?
1. Default Chapter

I tell myself its just my mind playing tricks on me. But how can it be when he looks at me like that? Its disgusting!  
My name is Lily Evans and I am in my 5th year at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry (that makes me 16 years old). I am a completely mixed up person, and the only person who understands is my best friend, Alia (Uh-Lee-Uh) Fertada, whom I love like a sister.   
It was September 3rd, 1977, and I was staring at him over my Feast goblet. I was disgusted at the way he always had to have a girlfriend, and the way he has a new one every week. I was disgusted at the way he had to always act so cool in front of his friends and the way he treated everyone 'below' him.  
But in truth, I liked him. Sure, he was despicable...but he was so cute. I would never ever go out with him, knowing how he is, but looking at him sure doesn't hurt my eyes.  
He looked over at me, and I gave him a death glare that would have scared anyone else away. He just grinned and turned back to his girlfriend...this week his girlfriend was Keri MacPherson, a very pretty girl with wavy brown hair and green eyes.   
How I hated her.  
After the feast, he walked up to me, and tried to start a conversation. I wanted to talk to him, but I didn't. I knew what he was like, but he was just so cute! How I hated his personality.  
"Hey Lily, looking good, as usual." he said, winking at me.  
"Is that all you think about?!" I asked, more harshly then I had intended. "Looks, popularity, and Quidditch? Of all the shallow things a person could say--"  
"Jeeze, calm down." he said, cutting me off.  
I swallowed my fury, and went from pissed off to icy and uninviting.  
"James, when you actually learn how to act around civilized people, give me a call."  
"Ooo Lily, you might be dead before that happens." Alia put in behind me.  
James glared at Alia, and appeared to be pissed at what I said, yet contemplating it as he walked away.  
Alia grinned at me, brown eyes sparkling, and she gave me a high five.  
"You go girl." she said in her decidedly Hawaiian accent.  
I smiled at her, and we hurried up the stairs to get settled in our dorms.  
Alia has long, shiny black hair that reaches her waist, brown eyes, and darker skin (she's Hawaiian). She was about 5'6 and was very thin with a good figure. All the guys flirted with her, so she knew exactly what I was dealing with.  
"I swear, that guy has it coming. One of these days, a girl is gonna blow him off, instead of falling for him like all those airheads he goes out with." Alia commented as she unpacked her trunk into her drawers.  
"And I can't wait to see it happen. I'd be cheering for her the whole way." I said, laughing.  
"If he wasn't so damn cute, I would hate his guts." she commented.  
"Exactly my thinking." I said, amazed, as always, at how much alike we were.  
"I thought the feast was good tonight, no?" she said, changing the subject.  
"It was excellent." I agreed, shoving my robes into my bottom drawer.  
"Yah, and I couldn't believe it when Dumbledore said that the first Quidditch practice was tonight, you know?" she said as she pulled out her broom.  
"No kidding, we better go get ready." I said, glancing at my watch.  
"Just what we need, more James Potter." Alia said, rolling her eyes.  
We hurried and got into our Quidditch robes, before hurrying out onto the Quidditch Pitch, where the rest of the team was already warming up.  
All except for the Captain, James Potter, who was kissing his girlfriend on the bleachers.  
"It takes air to stay alive, you know?" Alia called over to them. "You need to come up for air sometime tonight."  
The whole team laughed, and James blushed as he pulled away from his girlfriend.  
"So Keri is your flavor of the week this week?" Alia asked, giggling at the angry look on Keri's face.  
"Shut up Alia." James said, spitting with rage.  
"You know, if you ever want to get a decent girl, you might have to grow up a little bit."   
"Alia, if I wanted any shit out of you, I'd squeeze your head." he shot back, signaling for the team to start flying.  
"And next time I make a rhetorical statement, I'll come to you to get the answer." Alia said sarcastically.  
I laughed and gave Alia a thumbs up as soon as we got in the air.  
"Evans get in the goal, we're gonna practice shooting." James called over to me.  
I nodded and got in position.  
"You're going down girl!" Alia shouted, laughing.  
James took the first shot, which I easily blocked. As usual, he made an excuse.  
"I think my arm is still stiff from sleeping against the window on the train. I would have made that shot if I was feeling good." he said, not seeing as I stuck my middle finger up at him, making the whole team laugh.  
Sometimes I just wanted to kill him, but sometimes I could just kiss him. Right now I wanted to snap at him, but, since Alia was feeling so snappy, I decided I would let her...her comebacks were always better anyway.  
Alia leaned forward and rested her elbow on her broom, eyes wide.  
"Oh Jamsie! You fell asleep on the train and hurt your arm? I'm SO sorry! And after being off the train for SIX HOURS, it STILL is stiff? Do you want to sit down and rest?" she said, being VERY sarcastic.  
I giggled, and Alia winked at me.  
"You want to sit down, no?" she said, leading him by the arm down to the ground and forcing him to sit in the stands.  
"Lily is the next best, you know? So she will take over as Captain for this practice." Alia said, eyes twinkling at the murderous look on James' face. I was about to die for laughter.  
"But I'm fi--"  
"No, no. Do not speak, you must save your energy so that you heal properly." Alia said 'seriously', before flying back up and giving me the go ahead.  
"Ok guys, we're gonna do a scrimage. Ana, Alia, Casey, Kevin, Jason, Fred, and I will be on one team, and the rest of you on the other." I clapped my hands. "Lets get moving!"   
Everyone nodded and we proceeded in taking over the field in spectacular Quidditch moves, and by the end of practice, we were all exhausted but pleased with ourselves...for the first time, we had made some progress.  
By the time we were done with our showers, it was 10:00 at night, and I was exhausted.  
Alia was quite pleased with herself, and was in an excellent mood when we went down to the Common Room to talk to our other friends.  
All of the chairs were taken, so Alia and I sprawled out on the floor at Sirius and Remus' feet.  
"I heard all about Quidditch practice from Sirius...James still hasn't come back from the showers yet." Remus said, all of us trying not to laugh.  
"Yeah. Alia was great...she really put him in his place." I said, glad that SOMEONE was able to make James Potter feel stupid.  
Then, the man of the hour, James Potter, waltzed into the room, hair in its usual dissaray, and wearing nothing but a towel. My stomach flopped.  
"Obviously SOMEONE forgot to bring their change of clothes with them to the bathroom." Alia commented gleefully.  
"You're annoying, has anyone ever told you that?" James asked, annoyed with Alia from earlier.  
"Actually, no. Cause, see, I am nice to everyone else, just not you." Alia shot back, eyes twinkling merrily at the prospect of a fight with James.  
"How's your arm feeling?" I asked innocently.  
"Just fine, thanks." He replied, totally missing my sarcasm.  
"Hey Lily, you wanna go to the Back To School Dance with me?" Jason shouted across the room.  
"I would, but I'm already taken." I replied, lying through my teeth.  
Alia saw the disgusted look on my face and she burst out laughing.  
"Alia's going with me, aren't you Alia?" Sirius asked, making his request sound like a question.  
"Sure why not." Alia replied nonchalantly as she played with the carpet.  
"Lily, wanna go with me?" James asked.  
"You have a girlfriend." I commented.  
"She won't be my girlfriend by this time tomorrow, so no I don't." he said carelessly.  
I rolled my eyes and tried to swallow my retort.  
"So...go with me?" he asked again, his expression saying that he thought I would say yes.  
"No." I said, enjoying the shocked look on his face.  
"What?" he asked, disbelieving.  
"I SAID, no. Just because every airhead girl likes you, doesn't mean I do. Selfish, Over Confident, Rude Jerks just aren't my type." I replied, amazed that I was saying this.  
Alia gave me a thumbs up, and James sputtered.  
Then he sneered and walked away.  
Sirius and Remus finally released the laughter that they had been holding back during our exchange.  
"That...was...a...classic. James...finally...got...what was...coming!" Sirius sputtered in between laughs.  
I burst out laughing at this, and soon we were all hiccuping and laughing uncontrollably.  
Sirius was the first to compose himself...which was very surprising.  
"James is just insecure I guess. I mean, he looks all confident, but I guess it makes him feel more secure when he has a girlfriend...cause then at least he knows he's wanted, ya know? And then he's a jerk to impress the girlfriends. The girlfriends and jerkiness kind of go hand in hand with him. If you got to know him, I think you'd like him better." Sirius said quietly so that only Alia and I could hear.  
"Well, he hasn't made a move to be nice to me, so I am going to continue being the way I am to him. He needs to learn that he doesn't have to be a player to be popular." I said, frustrated with myself and James.  
"Yah, I mean, think about it, we all learned that, so why shouldn't he? You know?" Alia put in.  
"Exactly. Ugh. He just...I don't know. I just don't want to have anything to do with him." I said, shaking my head.  
"Then its your loss." Sirius said, before following James' footsteps and stalking away.  
"There's something wrong with that. I think maybe he likes you." Alia said, shaking her head after Sirius.  
"Who? James? No way." I said defensively, not wanting to even THINK about that.  
"Whatever, I am gonna cut out and go to sleep, you should come too. Classes start tomorrow." Alia said, helping me up.  
We hurried upstairs and brushed our teeth before hopping into bed.  
"I will have James in every single one of my classes." I whined, half thinking that it wouldn't be so bad.  
"I can tell he likes you. Maybe you can 'tame the wild beast' so to speak." Alia said, propping herself up against the pillow so that she could see me.  
My eyes flew open.  
"Tame the wild beast? What if I don't wanna." I said, laughing.  
"Well then, like Sirius said, its your loss." she replied.  
"What? Are you taking James Potter's side?!" I asked incredulously, thinking about how much Alia liked to piss him off.  
"Hell no, I am just saying, you should give him a chance." Alia responded evenly.  
"Would YOU give him a chance?" I asked, knowing what her answer would be.    
"Probably not." Alia replied honestly. "But thats not to say that thats the right way to go."   
I giggled and threw my pillow at her.  
"Then who are you to say that I should?"   
Alia snorted, then burst out laughing, causing the rest of the people in our dorm to hiss at us to be quiet.  
We muffled our laughter in our pillows and quieted ourselves until we finally drifted off into dreamless sleep.  
The next morning, Alia woke me up and told me to hurry...we had 5 minutes before we were due down in the Breakfast Hall.  
I jumped out of bed, pulled on my robes, brushed my hair, and hurried out of the common room at Alia's heels.  
Just my luck that the only spot left at the table was next to James Potter himself.  
I glared at him when he smiled at me.  
"Well good morning, sunshine." he said sarcastically.  
I laughed and shoved him over so I had some room to sit.  
"Here's your schedule, your lateness." he said, flipping a piece of parchment my way.  
"Thanks." I said, then, glancing at the paper. "Hey Al, we have double charms first!!!! With the Ravenclaws!" I exclaimed, as Charms was my favorite subject, and I had some friends from Ravenclaw.  
"Sweetness. Yah, but then we have Potions with the Slytherins. It's like we always have it with them, you know?" she replied, glaring at the parchment as if it was the papers fault.  
"I heard that Professor Slug is gone this year though...its this new woman...her name is...hang on lemme think." James said, scanning his TINY brain for that little bit of unforgettable information.  
We all waited, staring at him.  
"Professor Zellweger." he said finally, laughing at himself for taking so long to answer.  
"Tight. I hated the Slug." Alia said gleefully, remembering all of the detentions she had gotten the year before.  
"Alia we better get moving, Charms is all the way across the castle." I said, beckoning for her to follow.  
Much to my chagrin, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, AND Keri followed Alia and I to the Charms room, giving me NO chance to talk to her.  
As soon as we were all seated, the bell rang.  
Professor Flitwick hurried in, stepping onto his footstool that made him taller.  
"Good morning everyone! I am Professor Flitwick, and this is the Charms classroom. We will be learning everything from Bubblehead Charms, to Floating Charms this year...so sit back, relax, and ENJOY!" he exclaimed in his high pitched little voice, a shower of sparks emitting from his wand.  
We all clapped, because Professor Flitwick is everyone's favorite teacher...he is so friendly and patient...and he knows how to have fun.  
"Its good to see you all, and I hope that this year will be funner than last! I spent the whole summer vacation inventing a new class plan for this year, so lets begin. Today, we are going to learn the Silencing Charm. We all know this charm, so it is just review. Go ahead and silence the person next to you." he said shrilly.  
Alia giggled, and I silenced her, making me laugh.  
Alia was gripping her stomach she was laughing so hard, but I couldn't hear a sound, so she looked ridiculous.  
As soon as I undid the charm, the bell rang and it was time to go to Potions.  
James kept trying to talk to me, but I waved him off every time, not caring what he had to say.  
Finally, he pulled me to the window and looked me in the eye.  
"Will you go out with me?" he asked.  
I stared disbelievingly.  
"No! If you think I am going to be your 'flavor of the week' this week, then you're wrong! I'm not like that James. I may be the only one who sees it, but I see you as the careless player that you are and I REFUSE to degrade myself to being your girlfriend." I said hotly, not noticing that the whole Gryffindor 5th year had walked up behind us, and were listening.  
All of the girls clapped, except for the airheads who liked him, and I turned on my heel and stomped away from him, proud of myself.  
Alia slapped me a high five and we walked the rest of the way to the Potions Dungeon together.  
James hurried up behind me.  
"What would I have to do to show you that I'm NOT a careless player?" he asked urgently.  
I stared, shocked.  
Then I smiled.  
"Go without a girlfriend for 2 months. Then I'll believe you." I said, then walked over to the table where Alia was sitting.  
"I'll do it." James said decisively.  
"We'll see." I said, thinking that it wouldn't last...he would have a girlfriend by the next week.  
My little proposal had the whole class, including the Slytherins, talking the whole class period.  
Could James hold out?  
I don't think so.


	2. Presumptions

Alia thought that my proposal was the funniest thing in the world...because everyone knew that James Potter wasn't James Potter without a girlfriend.  
"But who knows Lil, maybe he really likes you and he'll do it! Would you really go out with him if he could do this?" she asked me that day at lunch.  
"Yeah, I guess. But the thing is, he WON'T be able to do it, so I have nothing to worry about." I replied confidently.  
"You're probably right. But if he really liked you...that would be techno, man! I don't think he'll do it. I'm just saying...you know I am gonna shut up now, because I may just get myself smacked.." she said, causing me to burst out laughing.  
The next month and a half flew by in a blur for me...but, to my surprise...no girlfriend for James Potter.  
"Holy cow, man. He only has one more month to go. Do you think he can do it?" Alia asked me in the hallway on October 17th, exactly 2 weeks until the moment of truth.  
"No way. He looks so lost without a girlfriend." I said, giggling, but on the inside my stomach was churning. DID he really like me?  
"Sirius asked me out again. I thought that was pretty sweet." Alia said calmly  
"He did!!!! When?! Why didn't you tell me?!" I squealed, excited for my friend.  
"Just, like 5 minutes ago. Calm yourself girl, everyone is staring!" Alia exclaimed, laughing.  
"Are you guys, like, a couple?!" I asked, softer this time.  
"I don't know! All I DO know, is he seems pretty persistent." she said vaguely.  
"Thats so cool." I said wistfully, wishing I had a nice guy like Sirius after me.  
"Ooo James Potter is surrounded by girls and he looks...BORED!!!! He really does like you Lil!" Alia exclaimed, and I whipped around to see that she was right.  
I walked over to James and I tapped him on the shoulder.  
"What are you trying to pull?" I asked, meaning why was he acting so weird and careless around all of those girls.  
Nothing. I'm just sick of these airheads bothering me, when I am trying to show that I am for just one girl." he said, a half smile on his face.  
"Why do you like me?" I asked, incredilous because i was always such a, well, bitch to him. "Why don't you take someone else out?"  
"Because then I'd have to start taking out girls who like me."   
"Like you could find one." I replied.  
"See that? Who needs affection when I've got blind hatred?"  
(a/n those last three lines were from 10 Things I hate About You, but they fit perfect)  
I laughed, amazed that he could find humor in that.  
I don't HATE you." I said, giggling.  
"Oh really? You do a good job of faking it." he replied evenly, eyebrows raised and eyes twinkling.  
"You're not as repulsive as usual, is there something wrong with your head?" I asked, pretending to look concerned.  
"Lil, we've got class, you know?" Alia called across the cafeteria.  
I turned and walked toward Alia, without saying goodbye to James.  
"What was up with that, girl? One minute you hate him, the next you act like he's your best friend. I don't understand you chica." Alia said, shaking her head as we walked towards Herbology Greenhouse 3.  
"He's NOT my best friend. Not even my friend. I find him repulsive and I almost hope he gets a girlfriend soon." I replied  
"So do I, cause then this madness is over. We can't go anywhere without people following us, trying to hear what we say. Its not like we talk about James all that much anyway. Oh jeeze, the airheads heard me say the name James, now we're in for it." Alia sighed, watching as a group of girls tried to "casually" edge their way over to us.  
"This is pretty ridiculous." I murmured.  
"Yah, no kidding. I think you should just walk up to him and kiss him...get them thinking that you're going out." Alia laughed, eyes dancing.  
"Oh yeah thats the way to go." I said, rolling my eyes.  
"I'd do it." Alia said, trying not to giggle.  
"But you're Alia. Alia does anything." I replied evenly, smiling slightly.  
Alia pondered this for a moment.  
"True." she giggled.  
The Professor said something about Mandrakes, and we all put on Ear Muffs, then we were assigned partners.  
If you think I was assigned to James, you're wrong.  
Severus Snape.  
If there's anyone in the entire wizarding world that I hate more than James, its Snape.  
"Well hello there sunshine." he said sarcastically as he ambled over, his clawlike fingers running through his greasy hair.  
I tried valiantly not to gag, but it didn't work.  
I gagged.  
James, who was at the table next to me, grinned at me and made a face as Snape smiled with those yellow teeth.  
I laughed lightly and tried not to look either Snape OR James in the face for the rest of the class period.  
Our Herbology Project went well, but if I would have left it up to Snape, we would have most certainly failed.  
I joined up with Alia as fast as I could when we were released.  
"Urgh that guy has cooties. If you look close enough, you can see them crawling all over him." I said, shuddering.  
Alia laughed and agreed.  
"That kid needs to take a look in the mirror. If he ever gets stranded and has nothing to drink, he always has his hair juice." Sirius put in from behind us.  
"SIRIUS!!!! Thats DISGUSTING!!!" I exclaimed, gagging just at the THOUGHT of it.  
"All he needs now is a juicer." Alia put in, causing Sirius and James to double over with laughter and me to gag and glare at Alia.  
"I swear, sometimes you seem more like the guys..." I said, trailing off as Alia smacked me.  
"Hey, yah!!!! If Jamsie Boy can last two more weeks, that would land it right on the Halloween Ball!!! He probably wants to take you to that!!!" Alia exclaimed, using her big mouth as usual.  
James happened to be right behind us, to my dismay.  
I clapped my hand over her mouth and gave her a look that could have killed.  
"If I can last two more weeks? Easy." he said, winking at me.  
I had the strangest urge to throw up.  
I felt myself turn red, and I had to excuse myself from the blob of friends and rush up to my dorm room.  
Then it actually hit me.  
What if he DID last the last two weeks?  
I didn't even like him, so would I be forced to go out with the guy that I hate more than anyone in the whole entire universe? (Besides old Snapey of course!)  
Yes.  
I would.  
Because I had made the damn bet.  
I had never thought he could do it, but with two weeks to go, it sure as hell looked like he was going to.  
Man, this guy must be hung up over me to not go out with anyone for 2 months!!!  
WHAT had I gotten myself into?  
My stomach churned.  
I would have to go out with him. Not only go out with him, but I would eventually have to break his heart and let him know that I hated him.  
But wait.  
If I hated him, then I wouldn't feel bad about breaking his heart.  
What the heck is going on here?  
I took my soccer ball and chucked it at the door, which groaned in protest as the wood was smacked.  
5 seconds later, the door opened, and in came Alia, Sirius, Remus, and James.  
I saw James, and my heart sank when I saw that he was looking at me...longingly.  
Oh God.  
Alia gave me a knowing look and gave me a 'cheer up' smile that didn't cheer me up at all.  
I decided right then that I was going to ignore James Potter for the next two weeks...maybe this way he would stop liking me.  
I crossed my fingers and prayed.  
When I went down to supper, I made Alia sit with me at the other end of the table.  
"Alia I reeeeaaalllly don't want to go out with him. PLEASE help me. He is SO arrogant!!!!" I exclaimed pitifully, glaring at my salad.  
"He hasn't been arrogant for 2 whole days, when was he arrogant?" Alia asked, sarcastically.  
"Just today in herbology, he was like, defending his decision to hold out for two months, cause Sirius was saying that he probably couldn't get any girls, and James said 'I could get any girl I wanted. They all love me. You know that Sirius.' I couldn't believe that! I almost smacked him." I exclaimed, shaking my head at how pigheaded guys were, especially James Potter.  
"He said that? That boy has it coming." Alia said, wagging her finger in James' direction.  
"Yeah. PLLLEEEEAAAASE God let him get a girlfriend. The way he winks at me, and smiles, and acts like he's sooo cool...it makes me sick. WHY me? Why couldn't it be Keri? We all know how thrilled she would be." I grumbled, stabbing a piece of lettuce with my fork so viciously that Alia raised her eyesbrows and took away my fork.  
"Killing your food is not going to help anything." she said, laughing.  
"All we do is talk about him. Lets change the subject and forget that James Harold Potter even exists." I said, throwing my napkin onto the floor.  
"You know his middle name? Girl, I am getting scared." Alia said, then, "but I totally agree. Its like I am just the one person support group instead of funny Alia, you know?" she said, making a face.  
"I seriously don't know how to make this situation better." I grumbled.  
"Go on one date with him. Decide for yourself." Alia said quietly.  
"You're right." I said, surprising even myself.  
I got up from the table, walked over to where James was sitting, and I tapped on his shoulder, surprising him.  
"Hey." I said, sitting down next to him.  
"Errr hi." he said, wondering if I was going to be a bitch to him or not.  
"I decided...why wait the last two weeks?" I said, my stomach churning.  
He raised his eyebrows.  
"Why the sudden change of mind?" he asked.  
"I decided that you're not so bad after all." I said, lying through my teeth.  
"Well Gee, thanks." he said, grinning.  
We both stood up and we went out into the hallways, obviously he wanted to talk.  
"You know, after I got to know you a little bit, it wasn't that hard to hold off for a month and a half." he said.  
I raised my eyebrows.  
"You like the bitchy type?" I asked, laughing.  
"I guess you could say that." he replied, laughing too.  
We ended up walking outside in the garden. Don't ask how we got there because I have no idea.  
We spent the rest of the day together (we ditched classes.). URRRGh I ditched classes for James Potter.  
But he was really sweet and nice and not at all like I thought he would be.  
When I went into the common room that night, I was floating.  
I had never been happier, and CUT!!!!  
Was I really thinking this about James Potter?   
The jerk?  
My BOYFRIEND?!  
It hit me that I was officially going out with him...at first I had thought OK just one date and at the end I will break it off...but I hadn't broken it off.  
What had happened to me?  
Alia met me at the door.  
"Where WERE you girl?! I thought he had abducted you or something!" Alia exclaimed.  
"Wellllllll I was with James all day." I said softly.  
"WHAT?!!!!!!!!" Alia exclaimed, eyes twinkling with laughter.  
"He's really not that bad." I said, smelling the flower he had picked for me outside.  
"And now you're head over heels for this guy. OI!!!!" she said, slapping her forehead.  
"Noooo not head over heels. I just really like him, thats all." I replied giddily.  
"And you didn't break it off did you?" Alia asked, sighing.  
"No." I replied in a small voice.  
"Sirius!!! I need a new best friend!" Alia shouted, making the whole common room laugh.  
All I can say now is, its been 2 years and we're still a couple....who would have known?!


End file.
